Living With Despair
by Fallen Crest
Summary: A job gone wrong from the past has come back to haunt Natsu once again. With no knowledge of what went wrong on this job so many years ago, how can Fairy Tail protect their friend when he refuses to let them in? Can they solve this mystery before Fairy Tail loses Natsu...either by him leaving the guild or worse...by his death? How can you protect someone who doesn't want help?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail **

**A/N: Takes place after Grand Magic Games**

**I don't write Fairy Tail fics but I really want to give it a try so here is my tryout. I have been thinking about this story for a few weeks now and I hope I can write it out the way I imagine it. I hope you guys find it interesting. **

**Living With Despair **

**Chapter 1**

It was a great day already, even though she had only been awake for two hours. She slept through the night without Natsu waking her up, and when she woke up, he wasn't in her bed at all. She had thought he might break into her apartment this morning while she showered or made breakfast, but she was pleasantly surprised to find out that he hadn't shown up to annoy her.

Pleasantly surprised, but also a bit confused and worried. He didn't always sneak into her bed or break into her apartment to have breakfast with her, but he hadn't done it for two weeks, which was strange. He had never gone this long without breaking into her place. It was making her a bit paranoid about when he would do it next. And she knew there would be a next time. It wasn't something that Natsu would grow out of.

So that left her with the question, what was Natsu doing?

Lucy sighed as she trekked down the street to the guild hall. She thought about asking him why he stopped doing it, but she didn't want to put the idea of it being alright for him to do into his head by doing that. That was her reasoning a week ago, but now she missed having her best friend around. Home was starting to feel lonely and so empty. She never had her apartment to herself for so long. Even when she just moved in, there was always someone breaking in, mostly Natsu. Now that people weren't constantly breaking in, she realized just how lonely it was to live alone.

And now that she thought about it, she missed Natsu. Of course she saw him all the time at the guild, but for the past couple weeks he was usually hanging by himself at a table in a dark corner with a glass of fire, which even after all this time, was still weird to her to see him drinking fire like it was water.

But that was beside the point. The point was that Natsu wasn't interacting with any of them. He wasn't talking to anyone. He wasn't insulting Gray. He wasn't getting involved in brawls. All he did was sit there.

With a sigh, Lucy looked up at the guild hall as she reached it and pushed open the doors. Once inside, her eyes immediately strayed to the corner where Natsu always sat nowadays. She sighed when she immediately spotted his figure hunched over the table, hiding in the shadows of the corner.

Two weeks of this was just too much. She knew she wasn't the only one who had noticed him behaving like this, so why wasn't anyone confronting him about his weird depressing behavior? Depressed and Natsu just didn't go together. Of all her friends in Fairy Tail, Natsu wouldn't even be on the list of ranking people who were depressed or got depressed.

She really wanted to go talk to him, but she thought it best to leave him alone for a while and instead approached the bar counter where Mira was when she noticed the bartender glancing at Natsu for a quick second with a frown.

"Her Mira," Lucy said as she sat down on the stool.

Mira smiled at her. "Good morning, Lucy. Can I get you anything?"

Lucy shook her head as she looked over her shoulder at Natsu again.

Mira followed her eyes and sighed sadly as she picked up a glass to wipe it clean. "Oh, I had forgotten you've never seen him like this."

Lucy looked back at her with a frown. "You mean this has happened before? That would explain why no one seems concerned about it." She mumbled the last part to herself, but Mira still managed to hear her.

"On the contrary, Lucy, everyone is very concerned about Natsu right now." Mira replied.

"It doesn't seem like it." Lucy replied.

"That's because it's become routine." Mira replied as she examined the glass. Finding it sparkling clean, she put it down and grabbed the next glass.

Lucy raised a brow. "Routine? What do you mean?"

Mira looked up from the glass to give her sad smile. "There is one month a year when Natsu gets completely depressed like this. He becomes quiet and withdrawn, doesn't interact with anyone, and when he comes to the guild, he sits in his corner unmoving from open to close." She sighed. "I hate when he does this. It is so hard to get him to eat. If I don't remember to take food over to him, he won't eat."

Lucy's brows rose in surprise at that. Natsu not eating? It just didn't sound realistic.

"Even when I do take him food, he eats the bare minimum. He stays like this for a couple weeks before he disappears for a while. We don't know where he goes or what he is doing, but when he returns, he spends a couple more days in a sullen state then he bounces right back into the Natsu we all know, love, and are sometimes annoyed by, in Gray's words." Mira replied.

The blond mage laughed a bit at the last part. That was so Gray. "So this happens every year? Why? I would understand if it was around the time that Igneel abandoned him, but it isn't."

The Take-Over mage sighed as she glanced at Natsu again to see his ears twitching before looking back at Lucy. She wondered if the fire mage was listening to their conversation. "We don't know. It started about three and a half years before you joined the guild. Everything was fine at the time, then Natsu left for a mission. It was a simple mission to take out a greedy tyrant that took over a city and was forcing everyone to pay ridiculously high living taxes."

"Is anything ever simple with Natsu?" Lucy asked dryly, though her lips were twitching up into a smile.

Mira laughed. "Certainly not. The city contacted us after the mission was completed to tell us that Natsu destroyed half of a castle in the city where the tyrant had taken residence, but they didn't care about the castle being destroyed. They said it added character and showed that a Fairy Tail mage was there to save them from this evil tyrant. As far as I know, it was never repaired."

Lucy snorted a bit. Added character, huh? It was probably a monument by now to signify that the great Salamander saved the town, destroying the evil tyrant's castle in the process. "If they didn't care about having the castle repaired, why did they contact you?" She asked confused. She's been on enough missions with Natsu to know that when things get destroyed on missions, bills are sent their way and complaints are sent to the Council. If everything went fine, there really was no need to contact the guild.

"Natsu refused to take the reward for the mission, but the city was very thankful and wanted to send it our way so Natsu could take it when he returned." Mira explained as she down the glass with a quiet thud before she leaned against the counter.

Lucy frowned as she tapped her fingers on the counter. Natsu has refused the rewards for missions before, but that was only when they didn't do the actual job they were hired for. But if he completed the job and the city was that thankful, why would he refuse it?

"After that, we knew he finished the job, but he never came back to the guild. He was missing for two months before Gildarts returned with him thrown over his shoulder, unconscious." Mira replied. "Natsu was not happy when he woke up."

"I'm guessing Gildarts brought him back by force." Lucy mumbled.

"Correct." Mira said with a sad smile. "Any other time, it would have been hilarious, but Natsu was still pretty upset over what happened."

"Wait, you never told me what happened to make him depressed." Lucy interrupted confused.

"That's because we don't know." Gray said as he leaned onto the counter suddenly, shirt missing.

"Put a shirt on!" Lucy shouted, only just restraining herself from punching him in her surprise.

Gray looked down on his chest in disbelief. "What?! When did that happen?!"

"What do you mean you don't know? Natsu tells us everything." Lucy said, ignoring Gray who was now looking around for his missing shirt.

"Not this. This is the one thing he never told us about." Mira said sadly. "He never opened up about it. Well, that's not completely true. We suspected he at least told Gildarts something since he told us to give Natsu time. Even so, the way Gildarts was at the time, I think even he wasn't told the complete story." She sighed and leaned her chin into her palm. "And when Master tried to give Natsu the reward for his mission, Natsu lost and set it on fire."

"Are you serious?" Lucy said, eyes wide in shock. "He didn't want it that much?"

"We were all shocked to see that happen, especially when it was such a high reward too. Natsu needed that money to buy food for him and Happy, and yet he destroyed it. All that was left were ashes. Whatever happened on the job must have really upset him to cause him to do that." Mira explained.

"Oh," Lucy mumbled. "Wait, why can't Happy tell you what happened? He goes on all of Natsu's jobs with him."

Mira shook her head. "That wasn't always the case. It wasn't until after this mission that Natsu started taking Happy with him." She looked over at Natsu, who had sunk farther back into the shadows of his corner, probably wanting to hide from them. With this story being told to Lucy, she doubted the dragon slayer was happy. "I think having Happy with him is a safety mechanism for Natsu now."

Lucy looked down at the counter, eyes filled with sadness. Natsu was always so happy and full of cheer, no matter the situation. What could have possibly happened on one mission to make someone as happy as Natsu this detached for a whole month every year? "So it is because of all of that you guys think something happened on that one mission to make him act like this for a whole month every year?" She asked, not looking up from the counter.

"That is correct." Mira replied. "Now that I think about it, you just missed seeing him act like this when you joined."

Lucy looked up, looking thoughtful. Was it really almost the date of when she joined Fairy Tail?

"You met Natsu in Hargeon where you two dealt with Bora, right?" Mira asked.

Lucy nodded.

"Well, Krov gave that rumor to Natsu because he wanted to get Natsu's blood boiling again so he told him where "Salamander" was going to be to get him back on his feet and out of his depressed state." Mira smiled a bit. "Because when Natsu is searching for Igneel, despite missing his dad, he is never down for long and there is this certain spark in his eyes."

A smile graced Lucy's face at that. That was certainly true. Despite his father leaving him, Natsu was always excited when he got a lead or rumor about the dragons, and even when it turned out to be a dead end, his determination never wavered. He would look at them, eyes glinting with fierce resolve to never give up in his search. His unwavering determination was simply amazing. And to think his guild mates gave him leads to keep his spirit from staying low. It was really sweet to think about them giving Natsu leads to lift him from his depression.

"I'm back." Gray said.

Lucy looked him over to see him wearing his shirt, but no pants. She slapped her forehead while Mira laughed.

"Your pants, Gray." Mira said.

Gray looked down in shock. "How does this keep happening?" He screamed as he ran off in search of his pants.

"He's never going to grow out of that stripping habit, is he?" Lucy muttered before she twitched a bit as she felt a dark glare on her back. Against her better judgment, she looked over her shoulder to see Juvia glaring at her from behind a pillar. Sweat dropping, Lucy shifted her attention elsewhere. What did she have to do to make Juvia realize she was not a love rival?!

"I think it's entertaining." Mira laughed. "Lucy, if you still need money for rent, you are either going to have to solo a job or join another team."

"What?" Lucy asked confused. "I know it's likely Natsu isn't going anywhere with how he is right now, but I can still go with Gray and Erza, can't I?"

"Maybe if it is nearby or short, but Erza and Gray never stay long away from the guild around this time." Mira explained. She leaned in closer to whisper, but she wasn't sure if it was even enough considering just how good of hearing Natsu had. "They like to keep an eye on Natsu during this time; even when he disappears for some time, they stick around in case there is any news about Natsu coming in or if he returns early, which he never does. Though Gray will never admit he stays around during this month because of Natsu."

"Keep an eye on Natsu?" Lucy repeated softly, rolling that idea around in her head. Even that sounded completely absurd. It was hard to believe Natsu ever needing anyone to watch over him like that. Even when they dealt with Daphne and her fake dragon, once they got Natsu's blood boiling, they relied on him to take out the dragon. He was the one always there for all of his friends in Fairy Tail, and it wasn't often he needed saved. He usually managed to find a way out of the dangerous situations he got himself into.

***Gajeel***

Gajeel scoffed before finishing his drink in one gulp. So that was why Salamander was acting weird and not picking any fights for two weeks? He looked away from the bar counter to look over in Natsu's direction. What kind of idiot was he to let one job affect him this same month every year? Did he enjoy being depressed for a whole month so much?

What an idiot. He should just go punch the dense mage in the face. He missed out on so many good opportunities to smash Salamander's face into the ground because the idiot wanted to be all depressed over something that happened years ago.

***Lucy & Mira***

"Wait, don't Gray and Erza have to pay rent too?" Lucy asked.

"Didn't you realize those two took a lot more solo jobs last month?" Mira asked. "They do that the month before this month to raise enough money to pay their rent for this month and then they take small jobs here and there to pay for food or anything else they need. As I said, they don't like being away long during this time."

Lucy's head dropped down to the counter. "I see, so it's only me stuck with worrying about rent still. Why did no one warn me of this sooner?"

Mira gave a small smile. "Well, this can give you a good chance to see about working with another team to see what it is like. I suggest asking Levy. She was planning to take a job soon with her team. I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping you out."

Sighing, Lucy turned her head on the counter to get another look at Natsu and immediately her head shot off the counter. She looked around the guild frantically for the familiar pink hair. "Where'd he go?"

Mira blinked and looked at the corner with a sigh. "Oh dear, I see he's not lost that skill of his to sneak away when he wants to."

"Natsu doesn't know how to sneak." Lucy hissed. "Where'd he go?"

"This is what I was telling you about earlier. After moping around the guild for a couple weeks, Natsu disappears at some point and returns a few weeks later." Mira explained.

Lucy glanced back at her and was surprised to see such a sad look in her eyes. "What's wrong? You said this happens every year."

"It doesn't make it any easier just knowing the routine." Mira replied quietly. "And there is always this lingering fear that one year he won't come back from whatever he is doing."

"Come on, Mira." Lucy said, attempting to cheer her up with a small smile. "This is Natsu we are talking about. I may not understand the situation as much as you guys, but I believe in Natsu always returning to us. After all," She spun around on the stool and took in the guild, watching all her friends talk and fool around. She wouldn't be surprised if a brawl started soon. And as she thought that, a mug went flying across the hall and hit someone in the head, which led to that person punching the person next to him. Before anyone knew it, insults and fists were flying through the air. "This is his home."

**A/N: Please Review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail **

**A/N: I am not sure if there will be any romance in this story. It will probably be mostly friendship/family type of thing. **

**Living With Despair **

**Chapter 2**

A lone figure wearing a dark blue cloak with the hood up to cover his face sat on the train, hunched over with his arms wrapped around his stomach as he moaned in misery. The light coming in through the window caught his wrist and was reflected to another part of the train to blind another passenger all thanks to the strange metal arm band he wore. It was bronze with a smooth blue gem in the center of it, which was surrounded by bronze dots. Two thick lines wrapped around the underside of the arm band to take up residence on both sides of the band, looking like claws as they did. Under the arm band were bandages wrapped around the man's forearm.

"Argh, I hate trains so much." He moaned. He hated trains, and all types of transportation in general, but he really hated them right now. Usually he traveled with his friends, or at the very least, Happy. And that was part of the reason he so despised this time of the year. It was personal and he never took anyone on this trip with him because no one knew the story of what happened all those years ago. That left him riding the train alone. He could walk there since no one was with him to tell him no, but walking, as he found out one year, took too long and left him with so much time to think about what he was walking towards. On the train, though he was miserable, at least it didn't take too long and being miserable from motion sickness gave him no time to think about it. If any of his friends were here, they would be shocked to learn he considered taking the train the lesser of the two evils right now.

When he felt his stomach flip again, Natsu groaned and hunched over even farther, coming close to falling out of his seat. Not that he really cared or noticed. He just wanted this stupid ride to be over with.

Natsu felt bile rise up his throat and quickly threw his hand over his mouth as he groaned. How the hell could a train be the lesser of the two evils right now?!

***Gray & Erza***

"So Lucy went on a job with Levy?" Erza asked with a frown. "How could we be so stupid? We were so concerned with getting enough money to cover our rent for this month that we forgot to warn Lucy and help her prepare!" She looked at Gray with a steely glint, leaving the ice mage twitching a bit. "Please hit me for my mistake."

"No, that's okay. I am still fond of living." Gray muttered, shifting down the bench a bit to get away from her. "Besides, Lucy didn't seem too down about it. She and Levy are great friends so I'm sure they'll enjoy the mission. They also took Wendy since she needed a bit of extra cash for her rent as well."

"Damn, I forgot to help Wendy as well! Hit me for my ignorance, please!" Erza bowed her head to Gray, who just looked away and refused to hit her.

With no punch coming her way, Erza sighed and leaned back against the seat as she crossed her arms. "Once again, he's managed to sneak out of the guild without anyone noticing and left the city. He does not know how to sneak until this time of the year. It would be so much more helpful if he understood that word during the rest of the year!"

Gray snorted. "Maybe he does it this way so we don't learn how he sneaks away so when he wants to do it around this time, it is easy for him because we don't know what to watch for. You have to admit, Natsu is much cleverer than we give him credit for."

The red haired swordswoman gave him a smirk. "Oh, I see how it. Insult him to his face, compliment him behind his back. You two would get along better if you complimented each other more like that."

Gray rolled his eyes. "As if that will ever happen."

Brown eyes narrowed at him. "What is that? You want to continue to cause trouble?"

"Not what I meant!" Gray said fanatically, hands raised in defense. When Erza didn't do anything to him, he lowered his hands and sighed. "Erza, whatever has Natsu acting like this happened close to eleven years ago. I know we were in suspended animation on the island for seven of those years, but it was still a long time ago. How much longer are we going to let Natsu continue to do this? I don't think it is good for him to do this every year for a month."

"I understand what you mean." Erza replied calmly. "I was hoping to follow him this year, but he slipped away when I wasn't in the guild." She glared at Gray. "And where were you? Did you not promise to keep an eye on Natsu while I was away?"

"I was….looking for my pants." Gray said slowly.

Erza slammed a fist onto the table, surprising Gray and a few other mages who were at the tables around them. "Once again that stripping habit of yours has messed up our plans. You need to get that horrible habit of yours under control."

"Easier said than done." Gray mumbled under his breath.

"Do I hear complaining?" Erza growled dangerously, making Gray look up at her and to him, it felt like she was towering over him, despite the fact that she was still just sitting next to him. Gray gulped in fear of his life.

"_Damn you, Flame-brain! This is all your fault!" _Gray thought angrily as he shrunk back from Erza.

***Team Shadow Gear, Wendy, Carla, & Lucy***

"That's why Natsu has been down lately?" Wendy asked softly. "I thought he was sick. I offered to heal him last week, but he refused. I thought for a moment he didn't believe in my skills."

Lucy smiled gently at Wendy. "Natsu is the last person who would ever doubt someone's skills, Wendy. From the moment he's met you, Natsu has always believed in you and your power."

Wendy's small hands twisted around each other. That was certainly true. Even when she first met him and all she could was support magic and heal, Natsu always believed in her and encouraged her to get stronger. It was thanks to him, and a bit of Jellal, that she felt confident enough to start learning offensive Dragon Slayer spells. "I just wished I knew sooner. I don't want Natsu to be depressed like this."

Her mind trailed back to Edolas when they were getting drained of their Dragon Slayer magic and how Natsu yelled at her to not falter to their enemies and let them break her spirit. He was always there for them, keeping their spirits up and making sure they never gave up. She wanted to return that favor and be able to help him.

"Good luck with that. He never lets anything anyone does cheer him up." Levy replied with a sad smile. "There have been times when we thought we were able to pull him out from his depression, but we were never able to. It is like he is forcing himself to be depressed, like he doesn't want to be happy."

"That really doesn't sound like him at all." Wendy said.

"Well, that's just it. Natsu isn't himself for this month." Levy explained, looking at Droy and Jet for a moment before back at Lucy and Wendy who were sitting across from them on the train. "It is something we've come to accept, though no one likes it. They want to help Natsu with whatever he is dealing with, but he doesn't let anyone in, then he just goes and disappears! How are we supposed to help him if he doesn't talk to us?!"

"I see you feel very passionate about this." Lucy said surprised. "I didn't realize you were that close to Natsu."

Levy gave her a small smile. "Fairy Tail is a guild that never gives up, never surrenders. We will fight for our family to the end. We protect everyone in our guild. That is the way we live, but when times are tough, Natsu is the one to shine brightly and always give us hope. His fire magic is beautiful and shines above the rest, like a sun that doesn't harm us. Instead, it surrounds us and protects us. It burns brightly in our hearts to give us hope."

"_That's one way to describe him. Another would be a reckless dragon with a love for destruction who needs to be put on a leash." _Lucy thought.

Wendy grinned. "I agree, and I think a small part of Gajeel does too."

"Oh?" Levy asked interested. She had no idea that Gajeel would see Natsu as giving any hope at all with the way those two always fought.

The young Dragon Slayer nodded. "When we were in Edolas and fighting the Dorma Anim, we were out of magic and couldn't fight anymore, then Natsu yelled at us not to give up before he stood up and yelled for Faust to attack him. In that instant, both Gajeel and I were sure that Natsu was going to get killed, but he proved us all wrong and managed to give us the courage to fight, even though we had no power left." Wendy explained.

Lucy laughed. "That sounds like Natsu. Going and doing the impossible."

Levy grinned as she thought about that. So Gajeel needed some encouragement from Natsu to continue the fight in Edolas? Oh, she was so going to tease him about that. She wondered just how close those two really were.

She sighed as she came out of her evil thoughts of torturing Gajeel when she got back "He gives us so much hope, but when he is depressed, it is like the sun has gone out." She looked up at Lucy. "Do you understand now?" Levy asked. "I am not as close to Natsu as you two are, but we are all still friends and he helps us so much and gives us so much hope. Seeing Natsu get like this for a whole month really upsets everyone. It hurts us all to see our family like that. We want to see him shining brightly."

"Though we always fail in cheering him up, we always have a party when he is back to normal. It's a good way to get him grinning and brawling with us again." Jet said.

"I think you guys just find any excuse to have a party." Lucy replied dryly.

Levy laughed. "Well, it wouldn't be Fairy Tail without parties!"

"It's like a non-stop party in Fairy Tail every day." Lucy pointed out.

Wendy shifted in her seat to look outside the window, gently wrapping her arms around Carla who was sitting on her lap. She watched the scenery fly past as the train raced down the tracks to their destination. Her elongated canine tooth bit into her bottom lip as she let the scenery float past her eyes without her really seeing it since her thoughts went back to Natsu. Levy said that Natsu acted like he wanted to be depressed during this month, though she was sure that was not what she meant. Natsu was definitely depressed, but she couldn't see someone like Natsu forcing himself to feel that way.

And then to hear that Natsu didn't let anything cheer him up, that was just unbelievable. Or that would be what she thought if she didn't see Natsu in the past two weeks. He really just sat in his corner all day, not getting involved in any fights or insulting Gray or accidentally making Erza mad at him. She hated seeing her friend in such a state, and to learn it was because of something that hurt him in the past hurt her as well. What could have hurt someone as caring and kind as Natsu so much that it would affect him every year? He didn't deserve this.

***Natsu***

Natsu stumbled off the train, stomach still flipping itself over and over again. Stupid freaking train. He rubbed his aching temple in the hopes of getting rid of the headache that had formed on the train. He didn't like being knocked out by Erza when on the train, but he would admit it was helpful in keeping the headache at bare. Though he much preferred it when Wendy used her troia spell or when Lucy was feeling nice enough to let him rest his head on her lap. Whenever he did that, she would run her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp, and again, he would never admit it, but it was really helpful in calming him down on the evil transportation contraptions.

Making sure his hood still covered his face, Natsu looked up at the sign that read "Aster Train Station." So, he really was back here after seven years. He pushed himself through the crowded train station, and like always when he was in Aster, his enhanced hearing didn't pick up any of the voices around him. All he could hear was that soft voice.

"_Natsu." _

"_I don't regret it." _

"_Hey Natsu, live your life for me." _

"_I'm going on ahead first, Natsu." _

"_Natsu!" _

"_I'm sorry. This is all my fault! Please don't die! Natsu!" _

Natsu's hand wrapped around his arm band tightly as he paused in the middle of the street. All around him were venders shouting out what was on sell and to come buy from them. There was not one sad face in the crowd. They all looked happy as they lived their lives, and yet, Natsu could only feel resentment towards them right now. How could they all feel so happy and joyous today of all days? This wasn't a day for smiles.

Dropping his arms limply to his sides, Natsu continued to trek through the busy market, eyes downcast to the ground. He didn't want to see anymore. He didn't want to hear anymore laughter and excitement. Hearing all that happiness just burned him. It just wasn't possible for him to feel happy during this month. His heart felt so empty right now, like it was a deep void and nothing could fill it. It was the worst feeling ever. The only other time he felt such a horrible emptiness like it was when Lisanna "died."

It made him feel like a curse. First were his real parents. He knew nothing about them since all he could remember was waking up in a forest then meeting Igneel. But then Igneel abandoned him as well. After losing Igneel and joining Fairy Tail, he didn't think he would face lost again, but he did. She came into his life and after only a week and a half, she was gone just like everyone else. Then a couple years later, he lost Lisanna. He kept losing everyone he was close to. He hated that. Why was this happening to him?

He feared the day when he lost all of his friends in Fairy Tail. He never thought about it before until he lost Lisanna. It didn't matter that he was in a guild and no longer alone. People were still going to come into his life then leave him. Why did this always happen to him?

His mind was so full of thoughts that he didn't even think about where his feet were leading him to. Even though he only came here once a year, his feet still knew the path to take without him even having to think. He kept walking until he came to a halt outside a tall metal gate. Looking through the bars of it, Natsu's eyes trailed over all the headstones in the cemetery.

"_I'm going on ahead first, Natsu. I can't wait to hear all your stories." _

Natsu's hands wrapped around the bars of the gate tightly, unknowingly melting them with the heat he was radiating as he glared at the headstones. "You stupid idiot." He whispered weakly, head clanging onto the bars he hadn't destroyed. "How could you tell me that with a smile on your face? Who smiles when they die?!" He angrily shoved the gates opened and walked down the stone path, but with each step he took, his anger slowly died down to be replaced with sadness and pain. With each step, he was getting closer and closer.

It wasn't long until he was standing in front of the stone tombstone. He stood there, staring at the tombstone. At the top of it was her family's crest carved in stone. It was a black shield with a fire phoenix wrapped around it, its talons gripping the bottom of the shield while its wings were spread wide like it was a protector of the shield. Moving his eyes down from that, he saw the words carved there.

_Samarra Agni  
>A brave young woman<br>who's soul burns as brightly  
>as the fire phoenix<em>

Natsu fell to his knees in front of the grave, head bowed allowing his pink bangs to fall over his eyes, not that anyone could see because of his hood. His hands curled into fists on his lap. It's been seven long years since he visited this grave, though to him it really didn't feel that long. But to Samarra it had been that long. He hadn't visited her in seven years. He hasn't told her any of the stories of what happened since he last visited. She didn't know about Lucy or about the Dark Guilds that Fairy Tail had taken down or how they found out that Lisanna was alive or about all the Dragon Slayers he has met.

"_Hey Natsu, what's it like to be in a guild?" _

"_Do you think it would be possible for me to join Fairy Tail? I know Dad won't approve of it since….Well, even if he doesn't, maybe I could be a temporary member to experience it?"_

"I'm sorry, Samarra. I never got you to meet Fairy Tail. I'm sure you would have loved them." Natsu whispered. "You definitely would have liked Lucy. She is a very dear friend of mine that I met seven years ago….I'm sorry, Samarra. I hadn't been able to visit you for seven years. I've missed so many years. You must hate me even more now. First, I get you killed. Then I don't visit for seven years. I would understand if you hated me." He bowed his head even farther down. To an outsider, it would look like he was bowing in front of the grave, asking for forgiveness, and maybe a part of Natsu was doing that.

He lifted his head slightly to look at the words engraved under name. "Soul burns as brightly as the fire phoenix…" He whispered, eyes never straying away from those words. To him, those words were poison. He always hated seeing them on her tombstone. "DAMN IT!" He slammed his fist into the ground over and over again. "I was such a fool! How could I have been so stupid?!" His fist continued to slam into the ground until it was completely cut and bruised with blood covering his knuckles that dripped down to the ground. He didn't notice the pain in his hand as he looked back at the tombstone.

Natsu's bloody hand dropped down to his side as he stared back at the tombstone. "Gray yelled at me seven years ago that Fairy Tail wizards don't break promises. And yet, no one knows I broke one that I can never fix. I promised I'd take you to Fairy Tail." His voice dropped, sounding so weak as he said that. Samarra was supposed to see Fairy Tail. It was his promise to her that she would get to see his guild after he completed the job. "I'm so sorry, Samarra. It was never supposed to end this way. I was so stupid to believe I was strong enough to protect you. I should have told you no. I should have refused your offer."

"_You want to what?"_

"_Let me assist you!"_

"_No way. I can handle this alone." _

"_You don't understand the power he has! I can't fight, but I can support you. You can't do this alone, Natsu!"_

"…_Alright, but follow my orders when we get inside." _

"DAMN IT!" Natsu slammed his already bloody knuckle into the ground again, tears filling up his eyes. "I was supposed to protect you!" He roared to the heavens, leaving the air trembling around him and any of those who heard it were filled, not with fear but with sadness. Instead of the roar invoking fear, it invoked sadness with how heart wrenchingly sad it sounded. He tilted his head back to look at the blue sky, feeling a bit of anger at it for being so blue and clear today. The heavens should be crying right now. "I'm so weak." He whispered, the tears filling up in his eyes made his vision blurry but he refused to let them fall down his cheeks.

"I thought I would find you here, Natsu." A gentle voice said.

Natsu's head whipped around to see a middle aged man standing there. He wore black slacks, black shoes, and a simple white button up shirt. Over his shirt was a jacket with the Phoenix Shield crest on the sleeve by the shoulder. He was a tall man with sleeked back fiery red-orange hair and piercing dark blue eyes. "Mr. Agni." He said quietly, bowing his head to the man.

"I heard you and your friends died seven years ago." Mr. Agni said, not moving any closer to the suffering Dragon Slayer. "I was so happy to see you at the Grand Magic Games, alive and with that same stupid wide grin of yours."

The Dragon Slayer turned away from the man to look back at the grave, wiping his eyes quickly with the back of his undamaged hand.

Mr. Agni fell quiet and just stared at Natsu, waiting to see if he would reply. When no words were forthcoming, Mr. Agni sighed. "How much longer are you going to torment yourself with the past? This is not what Samarra would have wanted, Natsu."

Natsu's fist slammed into the ground hard enough to create a small crater. "She's an idiot!" He screamed. "What did she think was going to happen? She can't just…and then expect…Why does everyone think it is alright to do that?!" He lifted his head and turned it to look at Mr. Agni. "And you….How can you forgive me? How can you not hate me?! Your daughter died because of me!"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Natsu. It was Samarra's choice." Mr. Agni replied calmly. "In our family, there is always a lingering fear that someone will break out and do what Samarra did. But no one can force anyone in my family to do it. It has to be done of our own free will. What Samarra did was never your fault. When she activated the spell, we all sensed it and we all knew what was coming. It was time to l-l…" Mr. Agni's voice lost his strength as tears caused his eyes to sparkle. He covered one side of his face with his hand as the tears started to cascade down his cheeks. "We knew we would l-lose someone that day…I just wish it didn't have to be my Samarra."

Natsu looked away, head bowed and his hands clawing at the ground. All his fault. He should have known better than to take her with him. Mr. Agni lost his daughter because of him, and instead of hating him for it, he took care of Natsu and helped him recover from his injuries back then. He could have just left Natsu to die from his injuries after he found out Samarra died because of him, but he did just the opposite. He showed him kindness and care when he didn't deserve it!

Natsu bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. He tasted the iron in his mouth, but didn't care. He bit down harder to draw more blood to keep himself from screaming out apologies that he knew Mr. Agni didn't want to hear. Slowly rising to his feet, Natsu kept his head bowed and turned away from Mr. Agni. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, though it was unclear if he was speaking to Mr. Agni or Samarra.

With those final words, Natsu walked out of the cemetery, unable to face Mr. Agni who was now crying in front of his daughter's grave because of him.

All his fault.

It was all his fault that her family was suffering and crying.

It was never supposed to end this way.

Natsu slowly made his way to the opposite side of the city. He maneuvered his way through the alleys to avoid all the happy go lucky people in the market. Any other time, he would have gladly run through the market and looked to see what they were selling, but he couldn't stand to be around any of them right now. He probably would destroy the market in aggravation if he had to see any more of their cheer today.

When Natsu finally stepped out of the alleys, he found himself standing in front of a rusty metal gate. He looked through the gate and up the hill on the other side of it to see a stone castle with holes in it, walls missing, and a tower completely destroyed.

"Back again." Natsu whispered before he jumped on the crooked gate, then vaulted over it to the other side. He started the long walk up the hill, wading through the tall grass, when he froze and his eyes widened in fear. He whipped around, cloak lashing around his ankles. "Who's there?" His eyes scanned everything in front of him before he turned to check all around him. He knew someone was there. "Show yourself!"

With no one showing themselves and unable to find anyone, Natsu sighed and looked back at the castle. "I know someone was here." He muttered before making his way towards the castle once again.

Unknown to Natsu, a second man stood on top of a tower of the castle watching him. "Natsu Dragneel," The man whispered. His eyes narrowed in on the arm band that Natsu wore. His eyes traveled down to his own arm where a similar arm band rested, only his gem was blood red. He snarled angrily at the sight of the arm band on Natsu's arm. He lifted his eyes to glare at the Dragon Slayer. "I will never forgive you."

**A/N: Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail **

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Living With Despair **

**Chapter 3**

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but he figured he had to have stood there for a long time because when he looked up at the hole in the ceiling he could see the moon shining through it. When he came in here, he knew the sun was still out.

Sighing, Natsu turned around to look behind him where there were two separate marks of dried blood on the ground. Even after all this time, the dark stains could still be clearly seen by his eyes. His blood. Her blood.

His hand curled into a tight fist as he forced himself to look away. He didn't want to remember seeing her body covered in blood because of him.

"_Hahaha! What a stupid girl she was! She may have saved you, but it changes nothing! You will not make it out of here alive!"_

Natsu slammed his fist into the pillar that was beside him, leaving a crater in it. Damn, that was a voice he never wanted to remember. What right did he have to laugh at Samarra like that?

_Tehran stood by the throne in the throne room, laughing loudly as a shocked Natsu kneeled by Samarra, who laid unmoving with her eyes open, a glassy, blank look in them. _

"_What a stupid girl she was!" _

_Natsu slowly turned his head to look at him, mind completely blank with the shock he was suffering from. He looked up at Tehran with his long black hair framing his face which was host to a sinister, self-satisfied smile and those dark green eyes of his full of mocking laughter as they locked onto Natsu and Samarra. _

"_She may have saved you, but it changes nothing." Tehran stepped away from the throne and towards Natsu. He spread his arms out wide as the shadows around them warped and came flying towards him to wrap around his arms before they spread to the rest of his body to completely cover him in the darkness. Soon, Tehran was completely hidden from view and Natsu no longer knew where he was. His voice now sounded like it was surrounding him. "You will not make it out of here alive, little dragon." _

_Natsu's hands curled into fists over Samarra's stomach as he looked around for where Tehran had hidden himself. Stupid coward hiding in the shadows again. His eyes scrunched shut for a moment as he forced the tears that were threatening to spill away. He couldn't cry now. He had to fight. He had to stand up and fight. _

_Shakily, Natsu rose to his feet and looked around for Tehran. He had to do this. He had to take out Tehran for Samarra. He owed her that much. _

"Why?"

Natsu was broken away from his memories playing out in front of him when a man walked into the room from a side door. That definitely didn't happen in his memories.

"Tell me why, Natsu!"

The Dragon Slayer slowly turned his head to see a man in his late twenties. He had fiery red-orange hair that was shaven very short on the side and left long on the top of his head with it spiked up. Angry dark blue eyes narrowed in on Natsu as he stepped closer to him. As he walked closer to Natsu, he walked under the hole where the moonlight was shining in, allowing Natsu to see him better. He wore dark blue jeans, black combat boots that went up to his mid-calf, a black skin tight sleeveless shirt, and fingerless black gloves with the Phoenix Shield Crest on the back of both of them. Resting on his right forearm was a similar armband to what Natsu wore, only his had a blood red gem.

Natsu stood in front of him, eyes wide in shock.

***Gray***

Laxus snorted. "That time of the year again?"

Gray glared at Lightning Dragon Slayer who just returned from his month long mission with the Thunder God Tribe. "Yeah, we get it, Laxus. You think it is pathetic the way Natsu acts around this time of the year. We don't need to hear you say it again."

A frown formed on Laxus's face at that. It was true that in the past he had mocked Natsu for the way he acted around this time of the year. He was usually so strong and confident so for him to turn into a depressed mess for a month was just pathetic in Laxus's eyes.

Sighing, Laxus leaned back on his chair and took in the craziness that was Fairy Tail. Erza was once again enjoying her strawberry cake at the bar counter while nearby Elfman was shouting something about being a man which was annoying Gajeel if his glare was anything to go by. "I know I never handled the way Natsu acts around this time of year maturely. He hurts during this month and I'm sure my mocking wasn't helping anything."

Gray snorted. "I thought he was going to kill you one year with the way you were mocking him about being upset. I only ever see him that mad when he is fighting Fairy Tail's enemies."

Laxus had to agree with that one. The punch that Natsu delivered to his stomach years ago from his mocking around this time was so painful. He never felt so much pain before, let alone pain that came from Natsu. Until the Battle of Fairy Tail, Natsu had never managed to land a punch on him except for that one painful experience that came because of his mocking.

"Anyway," Laxus continued, looking away from Happy, who was moping at a table since Natsu was gone, with Lisanna trying to cheer him up. "I know better now. I'm not mocking Natsu for feeling depressed right now or for disappearing again, but I don't think this should continue to happen every year. What if we get attacked by an enemy during this time and we need Natsu's help? With the way he acts, he is useless around during this month."

The Ice-Make Mage gave an aggravated sigh. "I know what you mean. He really isn't up for fighting around this time, as far as I know. Who knows? He might leave the guild for two weeks to beat up everyone who annoys him into a pulp and we never hear about it."

"If it is such an issue, perhaps it is time to help solve whatever issue Natsu is having around this time then." Freed suggested.

"As if we haven't tried." Gray growled, glaring at his drink in front of him. "But that idiot doesn't open up to anyone about this, not even Erza when she is threatening him to talk to her."

"And we all know how she can get when she doesn't get the answers she wants." Evergreen scoffed.

"Do you really think that is a wise thing to say with Erza so close by?" Gray asked.

Evergreen gave an arrogant scoff. "I am not afraid of that red-haired strawberry cake lover beast. How she can eat that disgusting cake I will never understand."

Gray sweatdropped. He really hoped Erza didn't hear that. It was one thing to insult Erza. She didn't care about that, but if anyone insulted something dear to her, like Fairy Tail or her cake, well, he didn't even want to think of the consequences. "Weren't you screaming in fear when Erza and you were fighting during the Battle of Fairy Tail? Sounds like you are scared of her." He retorted.

Evergreen laughed, trying to act brave. What did she have to be afraid of Erza for?

But soon a shadow fell over Evergreen, causing Gray to lift his eyes to see what was there. Nervous sweat started to trail down his face as Evergreen continued to laugh, unaware of the danger behind her.

"Who was it that insulted my strawberry cake?" Erza growled, looking very much like a demon in Gray's eyes.

Gray wasted no time in pointing at Evergreen. _'Sorry, Evergreen, but it is every man for himself when it involves Erza.' _He just turned his head away as screams of the torture by Erza's hand resounded throughout the guild hall.

"That was cruel." Bickslow said with a frown at Gray. "Where is that loyalty to your friends?"

"You can go join her if you like, but I am not going anywhere near Erza for the next hour." Gray retorted.

Bickslow looked towards Erza and Evergreen who was now pinned to a pillar by Erza's swords and getting a very long lecture on the greatness of strawberry cake all the while being forced to take bites of the cake to see how amazing it truly was. "How is making her eat strawberry cake going to make her change her opinion of it?"

"Fear." Gray muttered. "Just pure fear will make her agree with Erza on the great taste."

"Evergreen isn't so much of a wimp as you and Natsu to just agree with her after this." Bickslow retorted, looking back at the Ice-Make mage.

"You've never personally faced Erza's anger, have you?" Gray asked dryly. "I pay your rent for next month if Evergreen agrees with Erza out of pure fear after this."

Bickslow grinned. "Alright, and if she doesn't, I'll pay your rent for next month."

Laxus smirked. "Interesting. I'll get in on this. If Evergreen agrees with Erza simply because she realizes strawberry cake really does taste great, you will each pay one month of my rent."

For a moment Gray was surprised that Laxus was getting involved, but that soon turned into a very satisfied smirk to cross his face. Two months of rent paid in full for him was coming right up!

***Team Shadow Gear, Levy, Lucy, Wendy, & Carla***

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy shouted as a whirlwind of air wrapped around both of her arms and expelled outwards as she forcefully brought down her arms. The whirlwind of air slammed into the bandits that the team was hired to take care of.

Levy and Lucy stood back, watching in shock as Wendy blew half of the bandits away into the trees, knocking the trees down as they went flying through them.

"She is definitely a Dragon Slayer." Levy said impressed with a smile. "I knew from that Grand Magic Games that she was getting stronger and becoming a much better fighter, but this is still amazing to watch."

Lucy chuckled a bit. Maybe all the crazy, dangerous situations they dragged Wendy into with them was her teacher…Or, Lucy smiled as she watched Wendy do a "Sky Dragon's Claw" as an upper kick into a bandit's chest which sent him flying into the air. Wendy followed up by jumping into the air and performing a "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang."

Yes, the dangerous situations they were in improved Wendy's skills, but Lucy had a feeling they weren't her teacher. Her teacher had to be Natsu. Wendy's attacks were a copy of some of his moves. Not all of her moves were a copy, but the ones she was just showcasing definitely looked just like Natsu's, only with air instead of fire.

It left Lucy wondering if Natsu trained her to fight or if Wendy simply learned the attacks by watching Natsu fight so much.

"Well, we shouldn't leave all the bandits to Wendy." Lucy said as she pulled out Taurus's gate key. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

***Eleven years ago***

"So, you're the mage who took the job?" Mr. Agni asked dubiously as he stared down at the young Natsu with a frown.

Natsu glared at him. "Yeah, I am. Do you have a problem with it?"

Mr. Agni sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, kid, this isn't exactly an easy job. It requires taking out a tyrant that–"

"Took control of your city. Yes, I read the job description, old man." Natsu interrupted annoyed. "And I am more than capable of taking care of the job. I am a Fairy Tail Mage after all." He ended with such a proud, confident smile that Mr. Agni was sighing and giving up on thinking about arguing with this kid.

"I see." Mr. Agni replied. "Well, as long as you know the risks, then I will not be held accountable for what happens."

Natsu raised a brow in confusion, but didn't reply as he heard footsteps approaching them and leaned to the side to see passed Mr. Agni to see two teenagers, probably a couple years older than him, enter the dining room. The first was a boy with messy fiery red-orange hair that went in every direction. He had a kind dark blue eyes and a shy smile which he directed at Natsu. He gave a small tilt of his head towards him in a sign of respect. The other teenager was a girl with long fiery red-orange hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. Unlike the boy and Mr. Agni, she had soft light brown eyes, though Natsu swore he saw something shining in them that spoke sadness and pain to him. Accompanying her eyes was a much more confident smile then the boy gave. In fact, her whole demeanor radiated confidence from her eyes to her boot covered feet. While the boy wore a jacket with a Phoenix Shield crest on both sleeves by the shoulder, the girl wore the crest as a pendant around her neck. Both wore metal arm bands with blood red gems on them, though the boy's was hard to see because of his jacket sleeve.

"And who are you guys?" Natsu asked.

"This is my daughter, Samarra, and my son, Liam." Mr. Agni said.

Natsu smiled and stepped passed Mr. Agni to get closer to the two. "You know, you two look very similar to one another, the only differences really being the eyes and gender."

"That is because we are twins, Fairy Tail mage." Samarra replied, smiling at the younger boy, who just grinned in reply.

"Ah, I see." Natsu said.

"Though I am the older one." Samarra said proudly, a tiny bit of a twinkle showing through the pain in her eyes.

"By three minutes." Liam protested quietly. It was just lucky for him that Natsu had his enhanced hearing to hear him and his sister and father were used to listening to such a quiet voice.

Natsu smiled at them both. "So, that makes Samarra the family heir?"

Samarra and Liam both turned to look at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Natsu gave a small shrug. "I don't really have a family like this. My family is my guild so the only time I see anyone wearing the same mark is when it is a guild emblem." He motioned to the crest that everyone in the family was wearing somehow. "You guys are an actual family and not a guild, so I just thought there was something there since you all wear that crest. Am I wrong?" He asked a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. To be honest, he wasn't good with these kind of things. He really was just making a guess about there being a family heir.

Mr. Agni smiled. "On the contrary, you are quite correct in your thinking, uh, I'm sorry. I never caught your name."

Natsu looked over his shoulder at him with a smile. "Natsu. Natsu Dragneel, a Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail!"

"A Dragon Slayer?" Samarra asked amazed. "That makes it sound like you slay dragons!"

Laughing, Natsu looked back at her with a grin. "Well, Dragon Slayer magic is to be used for that purpose, but I've never slain a dragon before." He shifted his body around so he could look at the twins and Mr. Agni at the same time as he folded his arms behind his head. "So, what's your story? I know a tyrant took over the city, but how were you able to request help from a guild?"

"That is quite the story." Mr. Agni said with a tired sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "Where do I start?"

Samarra smiled. "Well, for starters, Mr. Dragneel, our family, the Agni's have watched over this city and its occupants for generations."

"You can just call me Natsu." Natsu replied. "So your family is like the mayor of the city?"

The female twin shook her head. "No, we are not in charge of the city. We are like the guardians of it."

Natsu blinked in confusion. "What does a city need guardians for?"

"Isn't it the same thing as your guild? Your guild resides in Magnolia and you watch over that city, do you not?" Mr. Agni asked.

"I guess that makes sense." Natsu replied. "But you guys aren't a guild. So why do you watch over this city? Though it seems you didn't do a good job seeing as how it got taken over by a tyrant."

A sudden angry look entered Samarra's eyes and she was suddenly looming over Natsu, reminding the Dragon Slayer of a very furious Erza when he accidentally set her strawberry cake on fire. "That is not our fault! He came barging in here, and this family is the guardian of a secret that very few know about, but we don't have the same kind of strength that you mages do. He was too strong for the guards and took control."

"Uh…" Natsu took a step back. "I think I might be confused. Guards? You're not the guards? I thought you said you were the guardians! Damn." He scratched his head in confusion. "This isn't making any sense!"

When Samarra kept glowering at him, Liam took a step forward and grabbed his sister's arm. "Come on, Sam. He doesn't know anything about this so it only makes since that he will be a bit lost." He placated her as he pulled her back. Once she was a good distance from Natsu, Liam stepped in front of her and explained. "The guards are a part of the family, Natsu, but the extended part. Samarra, Father, and myself are from the main family, which is how Samarra's the heir to family. Our uncle is in charge of the guards that protect the border of the city. Didn't you have to get checked on the train in the last station before you were allowed to come here?"

The salmon haired boy thought back to when he was on the train at the last station. To be honest, he was still really out of it when a guard bearing a Phoenix Shield symbol spoke to him about why he was going to Aster, then he had to show his Fairy Tail emblem to get them to believe him. In his sickened state, it was so annoying to deal with. "I see. I didn't recognize the crest they were wearing was part of a guard for the city here." He muttered.

Liam nodded. "The guards have a few main posts around the city and they checked all the train passengers who are coming here at the station right before this stop."

"What are they checking for?" Natsu asked curiously.

"To make sure no one coming here is coming to steal the secret of this city." Samarra growled.

"Is that why your tyrant came here? Steal Aster's secret?" Natsu asked.

Mr. Agni shook his head. "To be quite honest, Natsu, we don't know. He might just want control of the city because of how secluded and guarded it is or he might know there is a highly guarded secret here and is after it. The only thing we know as of now is that he snuck into the city somehow, took control of it by taking out the mayor, and started to take control by raising taxes. He is so powerful that the people fear opposing him. Those that tried were killed."

Natsu's eyes widened in horror as he started to listen with more intrigue. There was nothing about murders taking place when he read the job request. If there was murder involved, then the job ranking just rose.

"We guard the city's secret, but I am ashamed to say that we cannot stop him." Mr. Agni continued sadly while his children looked down at the floor angrily, even the shy Liam. "We've sent our best fighters, but…" His hand curled tightly around one of the dining room table's chairs.

"Were they killed?" Natsu asked softly.

"Of the five we sent, only two made it back." Samarra replied, making Natsu shift his gaze to her. She had her arms crossed and was looking down at the ground so her eyes couldn't be seen, but that didn't stop Natsu from seeing a single tear cascading down her cheek.

Liam looked at his sister sadly. "One of the men that was killed was her boyfriend. He was like family and was training hard to become a guard in the hopes that he could marry into the family in the future." He whispered to Natsu so Samarra wouldn't hear him.

Natsu couldn't understand Samarra's pain. He had been abandoned by Igneel, but his father was still alive and he was going to find him in the future. He never lost anyone dear to him because of death so he could not imagine the pain that Samarra was going through, but he knew it had to be incredibly hard for her. He cast her a sad look before looking away, feeling that she wouldn't want his pity.

"She tries to be strong and puts on a brave front with a smile, but we all know that deep down she is still hurting a lot." Liam told Natsu quietly.

Natsu's hands curled into tight fists at his side, allowing him to feel his nails digging into his skin. He couldn't forgive anyone who took life away and made people suffer like this. Life was not something to be messed with like this. It was precious.

"Truthfully," Samarra said bitterly, drawing Natsu's eyes back to her. "We say we are protecting Aster city's secret, but it really is a family secret we are protecting."

"Samarra!" Mr. Agni scolded quickly while Liam stared in shock that his sister would bring that truth out in front of someone who was still just a stranger to them.

"No!" Samarra said angrily. She lifted her eyes to stare into Natsu's black eyes. "We're selfish, Natsu! It's a family secret we are protecting, and if this tyrant came here because of rumors about our family secret, then these people in the city are suffering and dying because of us! We claim we are guards of the city and are protecting a secret of Aster so no one will find out the truth, but it's just a lie to protect our family secret!"

Natsu stared at her, unjudging, as Liam and Mr. Agni looked from Samarra to Natsu with worried frowns and the thought that he going to do something bad. But nothing happened except for a sigh to come from Natsu as he rubbed the back of his head. "I don't really understand to be honest. Your family has a big secret that if found out would cause people to hunt you down for it, but it is such a big secret that it is like a rumor and people think the secret lies in the city itself and not with your family? So to protect that secret, you claim it has to do with the city and your family protects the city to keep the secret safe?"

"That is correct."

"Then what's wrong?" Natsu asked, raising a brow and surprising Samarra. "You're doing what you can to protect these people and your secret. Anyone who is after that secret and is killing people to get it is the one in the wrong. Your family is just doing your duty to protect everything, the innocent and the secret. There's nothing wrong with that."

Samarra looked back down at the ground, tears now flowing freely down her face as she bit her lip to keep from sobbing loudly. She wished she could believe that. She really did, but it was so hard after what happened to her boyfriend. He died trying to save this city from a tyrant that was probably after their family secret. He didn't even know what the secret was or that it was an Agni family secret! He didn't truly understand just what he died protecting.

***Present*Natsu***

"I don't believe it." Natsu said, taking in the adult in front of him that he hadn't seen in nine years. "Is that really you, Liam?"

**A/N: Please Review! **


End file.
